At out last meeting on Thursday 14 August, Chairman PP Arthur Hubbard introduced Pres Colleen who asked PP Paul Nicholson to give the Toast. Colleen then gave a very warm welcome to the Guest speakers last week, Peter Markowiec and Chad Halstead. Colleen also made mention of the small world as Fireman Pete Markowiec had worked with her ex husband.
She then welcomed guests Chris and Catherine Tuck along with Angie Biggin.
Pres Colleen provided an update on Geoff Cunningham who had just been through bladder removal surgery and said that he was still in hospital but doing better. She also mentioned the passing of former member John Doyle's wife Helen and that her funeral was held last week. Colleen commented of the good Rotary attendance at PP Ian Mence’s funeral the week before and said it was a fitting send off for one of our most popular and long serving members.
Secretaries Announcements
Pres Colleen announced the apologies:
Roger Fairlam, Stuart McIntyre, Jo Kwok, Brendan Kierce, PP Julie Avery, Keiran Cromie, PP Norm Thomas and PP Ian Stacy.
There were two announcements:
Wendy Davis: Wendy spoke about a special fellowship social night coming up in October. It will be at The Naked Racer Museum
at 1 Grange Road, Cheltenham on Thursday 9th October 6.00 for 6.30pm. More details to come.
Pres Colleen: Colleen mentioned the great work that the people at DIK are doing and that 3 containers were being sent to Papua New Guinea containing playground equipment.
Rob Pinchbeck receives his
Rotarian of the Year Award
Rob Pinchbeck missed out on receiving his Rotarian of the Year Award at Changeover Night due to his stay in hospital
so Pres Colleen made amends last week and presented him
with his plaque. Rob got the award in recognition of the successful Brighton Classic Car Show earlier this year and for being the hard working Chairman of the event. Congrats Rob and great to see you back at the Club.
Speakers Peter Markowiec & Chad Halstead
"The Sea Shepherd"
Peter and Chad spoke about the Sea Shepherd which was founded in 1977 with the Australian branch of Sea Shepherd beginning in 2007.
Sea Shepherd is an international, non-profit marine conservation organisation that campaigns to defend, conserve and protect the world’s ocean. They say that our ocean and its inhabitants are dying from illegal fishing, plastic pollution and the effects of climate change. Poachers plunder marine life sanctuaries with impunity, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing goes unchecked in the high seas far from public scrutiny. International and national laws protecting the world’s ocean exist but are often not enforced. Sea Shepherd uses direct action to fill this enforcement void on the high seas, and works with national authorities to tackle illegal fishing in sovereign waters. Sea Shepherd's fleet plays a crucial role in our mission to defend, conserve and protect marine life in direct-action campaigns around the world, from Antarctica to Africa. Peter and Chad also spoke about their work cleaning up pollution on the beaches of Cape York which can only be reached by boat. Plastics and discarded fishing gear end up on those beaches and their team remove them using a barges. These later end up in landfill.
It was an excellent talk and slide presentation and certainly deserved a better member attendance than they received.*
*Some information for this article was taken from Sea Shepherd's website:
https://www.seashepherd.org.au/who-we-are
A Message from the President
The last three speakers have been of an excellent standard -
relevant, engaging and bringing variety to our program.
Our survey showed that members value hearing from quality speakers, though of course 'good' can mean something different to each of us. What we can say with certainty is that last week's presentation was truly outstanding and offered insights well
worth hearing.
It was a shame that only 20 people were there to benefit, 17 of them members. I'd warmly encourage you to come along with an open mind, not to 'judge a book by it's cover', and above all support your club. You never know what you might take away.
President Colleen d'Offay
Travelling Rotarians
Glenys Hitchen was recently in Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands
and took these interesting photos of the wildlife.
Volunteers Needed – Join Us at DIK!
DIK is currently in urgent need of extra volunteer support to help deliver on several important projects. If you, your members, or friends can spare some time, we’d love to welcome you. The four key areas where we need a helping hand are:
1. Clothing Sorting
We’ve received a significant donation of new clothing. Volunteers are needed to unpack items, remove packaging and tags, and separate branded from unbranded garments. Unbranded items will support local community programs, while branded clothing is sent to developing countries.
2. Packing School Backpacks
We fill school backpacks with essentials like a child’s T-shirt, notebook, pencils, a tote bag, and any other available items. These packs are then placed inside school desks and chairs, ready for shipment to schools in need.
3. First Aid Kit Assembly
We have many empty first aid boxes waiting to be filled. Once packed, these kits will be distributed to sporting clubs, remote Australian communities, and clinics in developing nations.
4. Birthing Kit Preparation
Thanks to our new partnership with Soap Aid, we now have most of what we need to assemble birthing kits. While our supply of kidney dishes is limited, we’re packing as many kits as possible while
we can.
Come Lend a Hand!
You’re warmly invited to join us on any Tuesday or Thursday for a rewarding day of volunteering at DIK. Please let us know in advance if you’re coming - we want to be sure there’s enough milk in the fridge for your cuppa!
Service for the late PP Ian Mence OAM
A very moving service was held for PP Ian Mence OAM on Thursday 7 August at St Andrews Church Brighton. Many Rotarians attended as well as Ian's family and friends.The Reverend Ian Morrison was the Celebrant and we heard from Ian's younger son David who delivered the Eulogy. This produced some very interesting facts about Ian's life including the theft of the Wesley school bell by Ian and two other students. The bell was never found and until this service no one knew where it was buried. As all 3 people had now passed David announced that the bell was buried under the fish shop in Church Street much to the amusement everyone attending the service. We also heard from Ian's older son Cameron by pre-recorded message from California. Ian's sister June Noble also presented a reading.
The wake was held in the old Schoolhouse now Mazi's restaurant where more speeches were presented by one of Ian's best friends as well as James Newberry MP, Mayor Hanna and Cameron Ward. It was a wonderful send off to one of life's gentlemen.
Condolences to Suzie and Ian's family. Rest in peace dear friend.
District 9800 MUNA 2025 Winning Students
The Rotary Club of Brighton proudly sponsor student teams to compete in the Model United Nations Assembly each year and this year again had the pleasure of supporting another fabulous bunch of students. Over the weekend, this year’s District 9800 MUNA 2025 winning team from Brighton Secondary College, Thaya and Jennifer, went to Canberra to compete in the national competition MUNA 2025 which was held at Old Parliament House.
Please see message below from the team. Congratulations on an excellent outcome for the girls as they put a lot of effort into preparation for the event!
We would just like to express our gratitude for this amazing opportunity. We ended winning the Totenhofer Peace Prize as shown below! The whole experience was very rewarding and insightful. We loved meeting likeminded people from across Australia and engaging in resolving real life issues that are relevant in the world today.
Thank you again for enabling this to happen!
Kind Regards,
Thaya and Jennifer"
David Smyth - Updated Meetings List
Last week's Raffle Results
The Raffle was run by Wendy Davis with assistance
from Rob Pinchbeck.
The winners were PP Alan Pinkus,
and David Smyth.
Sergeant's Session
Sgt David Finney
1. Attendance at PP Ian Mence Funeral: All those who didn't attend were fined;
2. Rob Pinchbeck: Sarg said Rob made a kidney donation at his recent stay in hospital and it was the wrong way to lose weight;
3. PP Alan Pinkus: Fined for his enunciation, voice projection but mostly foul language at Saturday Dendy Deli "mafia" meetings;
4. PP Paul Nicholson: Sarg couldn't remember what he was fining him for but fined him anyway;
5. Wendy Davis: Fined for mentioning that we were going to have social event at "The Naked Racer Museum". Dress optional?;
6. David Smyth: Fined for his photo in the upcoming new Members Directory. Sarg reckoned he looked like Indiana Jones;
7. Max Martin: Always late for Saturday "mafia" meeting at the Deli;
8. Glenys Hitchen: Welcome back from holidays.
9. Chris Tuck: Nice to see you back for a visit but pay a fine.
